


I may be rushing things (but deck the halls again now)

by Rai_Knightshade



Series: The Bradyverse [4]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Brady and Arista decorate the tree, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Tree, Christmas with the Macgyver-Dalton's, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Future Fic, I swear it's mostly fluff but there is a little angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, death of a parent (mentioned), no seriously this stuff is cavity-inducing, pure fluff, that's it thats the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21660958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade
Summary: It's Christmas time for the Macgyver-Dalton's, and that means decorating the Christmas tree! The kids get to decorate while the dads watch and sip cocoa by the fire, and a good time is had by all!
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: The Bradyverse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561579
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	I may be rushing things (but deck the halls again now)

**Author's Note:**

> This is just some pure, unadulterated Christmastime fluff featuring Mac and Jack and their kids. This takes place about 3 years after the arrival of Brady, specifically the first Christmas that they have Arista as a family member and not as Brady's best friend. As I mentioned in the tags, this does touch a bit on Brady and Arista's parental losses, but it's not major/overt and it's quickly comforted.

[(Art for the Fic)](https://rai-knightshade-art.tumblr.com/post/189454253533/its-christmastime-at-the-macgyver-daltons-brady)

"Ooo, hand me that one _hermano_ , I wanna put it up over here!"

"Sure, if you'll hand me the rocking horse, it goes with the little set of toys over here."

"You know, I was led to believe there would be a lot more fighting over ornaments involved with this," Angus Macgyver-Dalton commented to his husband as he watched their children decorate the Christmas tree. It was a tradition that had started when they'd first taken custody of Brady 3 years before, then cemented in their move to Wildfire Ranch. This year, however, was special: it marked the first Christmas that the Macgyver-Dalton's would include Arista, Brady's newly-adopted sister. He was intensely focused on making sure it was a good one for her, after the heartache and grief of the previous year, and that apparently included making sure she got to decorate the tree alongside him with little argument.

"What can I say, babe, maybe Dalton's are a bit more... Possessive, say, than other siblings when it comes to ornaments." Jack Dalton-Macgyver leaned back into the loveseat, taking a sip of his (spiked) hot cocoa and wrapping an arm around his husband's shoulders, gathering the blonde into his side. Mac went willingly, snuggling up under his blanket and gazing fondly at his children. "Why, are you complaining?" Jack continued.

"Absolutely not," Mac replied, looking at Jack with a wry grin, "I'm just surprised is all."

"I'm surprised too, but also kinda not? I know siblings fight, comes with the territory, but honestly? When have you known these two to fight, even before we adopted Ari, hmm?"

Mac pondered that for a couple moments, sipping his own (not spiked) hot apple cider. "I suppose you're right, I've only witnessed a handful of arguments between them in the 2 and a half years they've known each other. It might have been more out of character for them to fight now rather than not."

"Exactly. Never seen a pair of kids so in sync, 'cept maybe you and Boze, and even then I didn't see y'all when you were actual kids."

Mac smiled softly to himself, reminiscing on his childhood with Bozer. "We were a lot like them, actually; Bozer knew me almost better than my grandpa, and I could read his emotions so easily, even when I couldn't read anyone else's." He cuddled his head into Jack's shoulder, who indulgently placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm glad they get to have that too."

Mac and Jack lounged like that for a while, simply watching the 8 year olds deliberate whether the science ornaments should be placed together or separately (they ended up compromising with a line of ornaments wrapping the tree) and whether the angels should be placed at the top (a unanimous yes, so they could watch over the family; special reverence was given to the newest pair of angels, placed front and center by Arista herself). Eventually, however, the children turned towards their fathers with a chorussed "All done daddies! Isn't it lovely?"

Jack chuckled as he stood up, untangling himself from his disgruntled husband in the process. "Never seen a prettier tree in my life! You guys did really well!" He walked up to the tree, oohing and ahhing and commenting on various ornament placements as the new siblings babbled about their reasonings and thanked him for his praise. Mac just shook his head wryly, and leaned over to the side table to retrieve three presents hidden inside.

"Hey, guys?" He called, and when three matching looks of confusion were pointed at him he continued, "what say you to opening one small present each, in celebration of finishing the tree, hmm?"

Brady and Arista scrambled past their other father and tumbled onto the couch with whoops of joy and excitement, small hands reaching for the presents in Mac's hands that he held at bay with his arm and a chuckled "hey, calm down you two and I'll hand you each your present, ok?" Jack meanwhile laughed at their antics as he turned and reached into a nearby bookshelf, pulling out a small box he'd kept hidden there. When he turned around he found the kids had settled down some and were victoriously holding their presents, looking imploringly at their father to join them on the couch. Mac held out his hand, Jack's present held snugly inside. "Come on, they're waiting for you so we can all open ours one at a time in order."

"Sorry to keep y'all waiting, then!" Jack said, walking over and plopping onto the couch, sending Brady and Arista bouncing and giggling from the force of his weight. He took his present and handed Mac's to him. "Who goes first then?"

"We decided you should Papa!" Brady piped up. "Then we'll go in order: 'Rissy, me, and Daddy!" Arista nodded enthusiastically along with her brother

Jack smiled indulgently. "Then I guess I'll go first!" Carefully he tore off the wrapping, exposing a small jewelry box. "You proposing again, babe?" He quipped, smiling wryly at his partner.

"Well first of all, if I recall correctly, _you_ were the one who proposed, Jack. And no, it's not another ring; this one's from the kids, my present for you is much bigger and'll have to wait 'till Christmas proper."

Jack shrugged in acceptance and opened the case. Inside lay a homemade necklace, made with beads of many colors and styles, several of which using letters that spelled out the names _Brady_ and _Arista_. Jack grinned at his children as he immediately pulled it out and slipped it over his head. The centerpiece lay about an inch below his St. Michael's medal. "This looks wonderful, you two! I love it so much and I'll wear it with pride! Thank you." Brady and Arista blushed at the compliments and softly chorussed "you're welcome Papa." Arista immediately brightened and tore into her own package. Inside lay a small ornament: a medical case with the inscription "Arista's 1st Christmas" and the year. Arista was speechless, and looked up at her adopted fathers with tears in her eyes. Mac gently prodded, "Look inside." Trembling, she nodded and looked down, carefully opening the small case... And found a picture of her whole family, both by birth and adopted, inside. It had been taken on a field trip when both the Macgyver-Dalton's and the Ramirez's had been chaperoning, and the teacher had taken a picture of the 6 of them together, giant grins on their faces. Arista remained silent, though tears started rolling down her cheeks. The others let her be, quietly giving their support. 

Eventually Brady gathered her in his small arms, and she finally spoke. "It's beautiful.... _Oh, es tan hermoso, muchas gracias papás._ "

Jack spoke next, maintaining the quiet with his soft words. "We wanted you to have something to commemorate your first Christmas with us while also remembering where you came from. Brady has his own like it, a little beaker with a picture of his mother in it, from his own first Christmas with us."

Brady nodded. "It means a lot, to know that she's there every year with us, even if she can't... Be here with us, in person. Maybe... Maybe this could mean something similar, to you?"

Arista nodded shakily, burying her face in Brady's shoulder. "It does, so much more than you know _hermano_." They sat like that, Mac and Jack leaning in and surrounding them with warmth like a little cocoon, for countless minutes, just contemplating their past year and how their little family came to be.

Eventually, Arista pulled away and wiped her face with a bandanna Jack pulled out of his pocket. He looked at her, a question in his eyes. "You ok there, sweetie?" She nodded firmly, though her smile was still a little watery, and turned expectantly towards Brady.

The boy wasted no time in opening his own present. Inside lay a small box, no bigger than Brady's hand. He pulled off the lid to find a multitool inside, nestled among pieces of tissue paper. Brady squealed and immediately pulled it out to play with. "It's not a knife, not yet," Mac cautioned, smiling softly. "You'll get one of those when you're a bit older. But it has enough tools to tinker with even without the knife part."

"It's perfect!" Brady cried, giving his father an enthusiastic hug. "Thank you so much daddies!" The others chuckled at his excitement; even Arista gave a small giggle, mood slowly improving from the emotions that had wracked her psyche only a short time before. Brady settled back in next to her and got to work showing her the different parts, ooh's and aah's sounding from her at the appropriate moments. Meanwhile Jack stood and moved to sit on the arm of the seat next to Mac, a soft smile on his face.

"One last present, hoss; this one's special, just from me."

Mac smiled up at him before turning to the small package and slowly pulling off the wrapping. Inside was a jewelry box not unlike the one he'd given Jack. He looked up with a questioning look, which Jack answered with a chuckle. "No, it's not a Macgyver-Dalton original. The kids did make you something as your Christmas present, but even they realized that statement jewelry isn't really your thing like it is mine." Mac nodded thoughtfully, then looked back down as he opened the box. He gasped softly when he found a gold necklace inside, the pendant shaped like a sunflower.

"Oh Jack, it's beautiful... And yes, definitely more my style than the lovely custom beads." Mac lifted the necklace out of its case, admiring how it shined in the twinkling lights of the tree.

"That ain't even the best part; try pulling apart the sunflower, there's a surprise underneath." Mac did as he was bid, and gasped louder as he read the message it revealed. He whipped up his head to face Jack, who had a besotted look on his face. "I thought it was fitting, ya know, since you brought sunshine and light back into my life and have made it brighter every day since."

"You're a sap," Mac said softly, an equally loving look on his face. He leaned up for a kiss that Jack met halfway, their mouths moving softly together like they had thousands of times before and likely would thousands more. They broke apart to the sound of childish giggles coming from behind them. They turned to find the kids looking at them with smiles hidden behind their hands. The husbands just chuckled and turned back to each other, kissing again and again as the kids gagged in mock disgust behind them, content with the knowledge that their little family was happy, healthy and all together in their little bubble of love.

Fin.


End file.
